For some people, the thought of dating someone who follows a different religion is horrifying. For others, it’s not a problem at all but, even then, such a partnership doesn’t necessarily come without struggles. A Muslim woman – henceforth referred to as “OP” – took to social media to find out if she was wrong for refusing to go to church with her Christian boyfriend’s family.
A Harmonious Relationship
OP and her boyfriend successfully built a relationship based on respect and acceptance. “Faith has never been a controversy between us, with both of us happy to let the other worship as they please. His family are devoutly Christian and they go to church together as a family every Sunday. I’m happy they have this devotion they share,” the young woman wrote.
Challenging the Relationship
The strength of the pair’s relationship was challenged when OP was invited to join her boyfriend’s family for a Sunday church service. Initially, she viewed this as a gesture of inclusion – but things took an unexpected turn.
Sharing of Faith
OP wrote: “They invited me to attend Church with [them] and are very much pushing for it. It makes me a little uncomfortable but I assumed they meant well and were trying to include me so I told them I’d be happy to go with them if they come to the mosque. I figured if they were trying to share their faith with me, I should do the same.”
Worshiping False Idols
OP continued: “They said no, stating that they cannot go to another religion’s place of worship as the Bible states they cannot worship any false idols. I was hurt by this as it implies my faith is fake compared to theirs but also they were clearly not understanding that I wasn’t asking them to worship. I pointed this out but they still refused.”
A Terrible Argument
The situation led to an argument with the family. Moreover, OP and her partner had planned to raise their future children with both their religions. When she revealed this plan to his parents in the same discussion, it exacerbated the situation.
Getting Used to Church
OP wrote: “They pointed out how I needed to get used to going to church before I had children. I said that when I had children we’d of course go to church as a family but they should get used to going to the mosque too as my children would be going there too. This led to another fight, this time with my boyfriend and his family as they hadn’t known our future children could be Muslim and they didn’t like it one bit.”
Taking to Social Media
Following the heated argument, OP took to social media to gather opinions on the situation and find out if she should’ve just given in and gone to church. For the most part, people said she did nothing wrong whatsoever.
They Don’t Want Reasonable
One commenter wrote: “You two have discussed this and determined what will work for you. You’ve offered a perfectly reasonable solution. Fact is, they don’t want reasonable. They want to control the situation and shove their religion down your throat.”
The Same God
Others pointed out that the “false idol” argument is unfounded because Christians and Muslims worship the same god. “You’ve tried to be diplomatic and reach a fair compromise with them. They bring up false idols despite both Christianity and the Muslim faith worshiping the same god, as does the Jewish faith. The Quran even mentions Jesus as a messenger of God,” one individual said.
Jesus and Mohammed
The commenter continued: “For them to mention false idols is just theologically wrong. They can quite easily go to a mosque and worship God. The only difference is Christians believe Jesus is the son of God, while Muslims believe that Mohammed is the true messenger of God.”
A Warning for OP
One person left a warning for OP. They said: “Do not have children with this man. His family is 100% trying to convert you and if you have children with him, they will undoubtedly use them as a way to hurt you.”
OP Was Reasonable
Echoing the aforementioned commenter, another person said: “We are a multi-religion family. We all do our thing and let everyone else do their thing. And in the end, that’s the end of it. You did nothing wrong. You were also quite reasonable with them. My concern would be having children though. If he didn’t tell them to avoid an argument now, he won’t set and hold boundaries when you have children. Be cautious for sure.”
It Was Not Okay
Fellow Muslims weighed in too. “As a Muslim myself, I completely understand and I think you tried your best to come to a compromise. It was not okay for them to deny going to the mosque. Even if they have separate beliefs, if you support theirs they should support yours. I suggest talking to your boyfriend about your concerns and standing your ground,” one person said.
Nothing but Discriminatory
Another commenter wrote: “They’ve been nothing but discriminatory toward you. Learn from this. Some Christians simply don’t know how to respect other people. I hope you can work things out with your boyfriend though, I really do.”
A Multi-Faith Family
Others discussed multi-faith families. “My partner grew up in a multi-faith family. One parent Muslim, one parent Catholic. The kids celebrated Easter and Christmas with one parent, Ramadan and Eid with the other. I don’t know what discussions their parents had about it all but they made it work,” one individual wrote.
Rethinking the Relationship
Plenty of people said that OP should rethink the relationship. One person said: “They will continue to try to convert you [and] convince you to give up your faith. This will continue after you’re married [and] will increase once you have children. You really need to decide if the decades of conflict [and] fighting is something you want.”
When the Children Come
Echoing the aforementioned commenter, another person said: “I would reconsider having children with him. While he may seem on your side right now, when the children come is when he’ll likely revert to type and push only for Christianity.”
Spiritual Beliefs Are Personal
Another commenter wrote: “I am a person of faith and frankly I wouldn’t care if my husband painted some rocks and called them his gods. Spiritual beliefs are personal and last I checked no one human had the authority to question anyone else’s spirituality. I hope you can work this out because intolerance of any form can be so destructive.”
“Reverse Racism Doesn’t Exist, Idiot”: Biden’s Praise for Kamala Harris Raises Eyebrows
President Biden has claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris is fighting for freedom and that the Biden administration has rebuilt the economy. Understandably, his comments have left some people confused.
“Reverse Racism Doesn’t Exist, Idiot”: Biden’s Praise for Kamala Harris Raises Eyebrows
“This Is Why Nobody Takes Christianity Seriously”: Pastor Enters Cage of Lions to Prove God Is Protecting Him
Plenty of religious leaders claim to have some form of “divine protection” but not many of them are brave enough to attempt to prove it. One pastor, though, did possess that courage – or stupidity – and he locked himself in a cage of lions to make his point.
“I’d Like to See Him Pass a Polygraph”: Trump Fails at Basic Math and Rambles About Passing Meaningless Competency Test
According to NBC, Donald Trump has given a lengthy response to a question regarding age concerns. The former president and Republican presidential nominee candidate, who often says Biden is too old for his job at age 80, is 77.
“Seems Like Pure Racism”: House Approves Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Amendment to Cut the Secretary of Defense’s Pay to $1
The House has approved Marjorie Taylor Greene’s amendment to cut Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s salary to $1.
“In the Far Future, White People Won’t Exist”: Biden Says White People Will Soon Be a Minority in America
President Joe Biden has boldly claimed that the United States will soon become “a minority-White European country.”